Box Score

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Freshman left hander Richie Salter (Virginia Beach, Va.) pitched a complete game six-hitter, and Chris Joyce (Chesapeake, Va.) and John Lynch (Newport News, Va.) combined for four hits and three RBI to lead No. 3 seed Norfolk State over No. 4 Delaware State 5-1 in the MEAC Baseball Tournament on Saturday morning at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The Spartans (21-28-1) advance to face the North Carolina A&T at 6 p.m. The Hornets had their season end at 13-36.

Salter, who has been limited due to injury much of the season, was making just his third appearance and second start of the season. But after running into some trouble in the early innings, the freshman settled down and allowed just two hits over the final seven innings. He gave up a total of six hits and one earned run while walking six and striking out three.

DSU broke on top first on Tony Gatto’s two-out RBI single in the top of the first inning, but NSU answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. Joyce lined an RBI double down the left-field line, his school-record 23rd double of the season, to tie the score at 1-all. Joyce then scored on a two-out Hornets’ error to give NSU a 2-1 lead.

Joyce added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. That scored Lynch, who was hit by a pitch, stole second and advanced to third on another DSU error.

Spartans stretched their lead to 5-1 in the fifth. Lynch knocked in a run with a single, stole second and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Cameron Parsons (Chesapeake, Va.).

That was more than enough for Salter, who improved to 2-0 on the season. Ryan Haas (0-8) took the loss for DSU, allowing six hits and five runs, one earned, in five innings.

Lynch, Joyce and Drew Suttmiller (Chesapeake, Va.) had two hits each for the Spartans. Gatto and Mike Rizzuto had two hits each for DSU, which dropped five of six to NSU this season and was eliminated from the conference tournament by the Spartans for the second straight year.